“Make sure you don’t stay on your feet too long, and get plenty of rest,” the woman said with a smile.

  “I’ll do that,” she replied before moving on to the next table.

  In the next half hour, three more people congratulated her. A woman offered advice about which infant car seat was best and another suggested a book she might want to read. All of them seemed genuinely nice and concerned for her without the slightest bit of judgment. That wasn’t what she’d expected. She was single and pregnant in a town that valued family and tradition. And what surprised her even more was that no one made it about Brian. They focused on her as though they cared about her.

  “Mitch Alistair wanted me to give this to you. He wouldn’t leave it on the table.” Aurora handed her a folded twenty-dollar bill when they were prepping for lunch. “He said it was for the baby.”

  “He never tips.” Caitlin was shocked. She’d waited on the perpetually grouchy eighty-year-old often, and he’d never left her even a quarter.

  “People can be kind when you least expect it.” Aurora smiled. “And everyone loves a baby. Enjoy it.”

  “I will.” She tucked the cash in her apron pocket, feeling surprisingly good about humanity and the citizens of Darby Crossing. Maybe she’d misjudged this town.

  “Uh oh,” Aurora said with a glance behind Caitlin. “Your mom just showed up.”

  “Crap,” Caitlin whispered, and then decided that her mom wasn’t going to rain on her parade. She spun around and went to greet her mother with a smile on her face. “Hi, Mom. I wasn’t expecting you in today.”

  “I was hoping we could talk.” Her mother’s smile held more warmth than Caitlin had ever seen directed at her. “Any chance you’re free for a few minutes?”

  “Take a break and sit down with your mom,” Aurora said as she came up behind Caitlin. “We’ve got some time before the serious lunch rush.”

  “Thanks. Do you want coffee, Mom?” Caitlin offered.

  “That would be nice.”

  Caitlin seated her mother in the last booth and went to get two mugs of coffee—decaf for her, because she knew Brian would say that was best. She dumped creamer in hers but knew her mother, always conscious of her figure, would take it black.

  “First,” her mother said as soon as Caitlin sat down, “I wanted to say that I’m sorry for being so brusque with you when you came to town. I really was happy to have you home, but it didn’t come out right. I…well, we’ve always struggled to communicate well.”

  Not once in her life had Caitlin received an apology from her mother. This was a different side of her, and Caitlin wasn’t sure she could trust it. She felt her guard go up but fought against it. She’d had a great morning, basking in people’s kindness, so she tried to channel some of that optimism toward her relationship with her mother.

  “I heard about the baby,” her mother continued. “Your father mentioned something when he got home yesterday, but like a man, he didn’t get any details.”

  Caitlin wanted to tell her that he hadn’t even acknowledged her announcement, but she didn’t want to be accused of picking a fight. “I wasn’t sure he even heard me,” she admitted.

  “He did, but you know how he is, so absorbed in his business dealings.” Hailey made a little waving motion with her hand. “Everyone’s talking about the baby today, so it must be common knowledge.”

  “Seems to be,” Caitlin said. She doubted there was anyone left in town who didn’t know. She half-expected a rebuke that her mother hadn’t been the first person told, so Hailey’s next words surprised her.

  “I’m excited about my first grandchild,” Hailey said. “And I want to help you if I can.”

  What was this? Had her mother really just offered to help? Caitlin felt her defenses rise again, but she tamped them down. Maybe grandchildren really did change things, and her mother would make the baby a priority in a way she never had with Caitlin.

  “I’d appreciate that,” Caitlin said.

  Hailey smiled, seeming pleased, and even reached across the table to squeeze Caitlin’s hand. “We’ll want to make a list of everything you’ll need. Maybe you and Brian could come to dinner some evening.”

  Okay, now Caitlin really didn’t know who this woman was, but if Hailey was at all sincere, Caitlin was willing to meet her halfway. “I think we could do that. I’m available in the evenings, but Brian’s schedule is more erratic.”

  “He’s so dedicated to the town,” her mother said. “Such a steady man, a good one.”

  For once in her life Caitlin had to agree with her mother. Brian was a good man, and the optimism that had bubbled up in her earlier came to the surface again. Maybe she could stay in Darby Crossing where she and Brian could raise their child together. If her mother was willing to apologize and be nice, anything seemed possible. Caitlin was riding that happy tide until her mother spoke again.

  “I’ll need you to get me an invitation to the baby shower, of course.”

  How did her mother even know about that? Caitlin had just learned about it herself the evening before. “Oh, I—”

  “I just ran into Laura Thorne at the grocery store,” her mother said, her expression turning sour. “Well, not ran into exactly, I overheard her talking to Juanita Alvarez about the shower. When I caught up with Laura in the parking lot and asked her what the date was, she told me I wasn’t invited. That’s ridiculous, Caitlin. Of course I should be invited.” Her voice was scolding, critical—exactly the tone that Caitlin was used to from her.

  Caitlin sat back in her seat and pressed her lips into a line. All her hope that her mother could change vanished in an instant.

  “I mean, how would it look if I’m left off the guest list?” Her mother kept going. “I’m the grandmother, after all. This is Laura’s work. She’s so uppity, and who is she really? Just a piece of garbage who showed up on the side of the road one day with a car that ‘just happened’ to break down and snagged Marshall Thorne’s attention. He couldn’t see another woman after she came to town, and I just can’t understand what his fascination was with her.”

  Caitlin could answer that question easily enough. Laura Thorne was kind and caring, and there for everyone who needed her. She never treated anyone, even strangers, with the coldness and disinterest Caitlin had always gotten from her parents.

  “Well, that’s ancient history and it doesn’t matter anymore.” Hailey calmed down from her tirade. “You’ll be a Thorne soon enough.”

  Caitlin had to dispel that misconception right away. “Mom, Brian and I haven’t discussed marriage at all.”

  Hailey’s face went white under her perfect makeup job and she leaned forward in her seat. “You have to marry him. You’re having his baby. Do you want people to call you a slut? You always were so selfish. Think of how this will affect your father and me.” She scoffed. “An unwed mother. How embarrassing.”

  Caitlin should have known where this conversation would go, should have known that her mother would make it about her. Some things never changed, but what had altered over the years was Caitlin’s ability to stand up to her mother. Caitlin took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself and find the strength to say what needed to be said.

  “I’m sorry you feel that way, Mom, but the fact that you do makes it clear to me that I don’t want you at the baby shower. If you want to be part of my baby’s life, I’m open to talking about it again. If you’re going to be toxic, though, I don’t want you anywhere near me or the baby.”

  It was the firmest line she’d ever taken with her mother. By the time she was in high school, she’d learned to keep her mouth shut. But right now, it felt good to speak her mind.

  Her mother stood and glared down at her. “When I think of what your father and I sacrificed for you all those years. You must be the most ungrateful daughter in Texas. And if this is how you treat me now, I don’t want anything to do with you or your baby.” Hailey stormed out of the diner.

  Caitlin watched her mother pause on the sidewalk, pull her sunglasses from her purse and give her hair a flip as she composed herself. Her mother was her mother. What had made Caitlin think for even two seconds that things could be different between them? Hailey’s sole concern was connecting to the more prominent family and using both Caitlin and the baby to her own benefit.

  A wave of nausea that had nothing to do with morning sickness went through Caitlin. She forced herself to focus on her coffee mug and the sounds of the diner in the background. Anything to forget about the exchange with her mother. After a few minutes, she felt calmer, but in that calmness, the truth was apparent. She couldn’t stay in Darby Crossing and be subjected to her mother on a regular basis.

  This town wasn’t for her or her unborn child…but then there was Brian. She hesitated, feeling divided in two. She wanted to make him happy, wanted to tell him he could raise his child in the town he so clearly loved. But that choice just wasn’t right for her. No matter how good it was to be with him, it wasn’t enough, especially when he wasn’t always there for her either. She’d never feel comfortable here, never feel safe from the past, and she couldn’t count on him to be by her side to balance out the bad. She had to return to Austin and pick up the pieces of her life that she’d been building before Seamus stole from her.

  Caitlin took out her phone and tapped out a message to Maggie.

  Ready to talk? I’ve got big news and it’s NOT about a guy.

  She didn’t have to wait long for a response from Maggie. I’ve got big news, too. The most adorable storefront has just come on the market. It’s pricey, but in a cool location.

  Caitlin breathed a sigh of relief. Her best friend was talking to her again.

  Been thinking about you a lot, Maggie texted next. I’m sorry about being mad at you. Seamus, the shit, deserved that, not you. Forgive me?

  You bet. I’m sorry, too. Send me a link to the storefront. Talk later?

  Yep. Love you.

  Caitlin responded the same and slipped her phone back in her pocket. She’d give Maggie a call when she got off work and start patching up the best friendship she’d ever had. And then she’d think about her next move, the one that would take her out of Darby Crossing. She didn’t even let herself think about the fact that she’d likely have to do that alone. Brian wouldn’t go with her, so the best they could hope for was a long-distance relationship and co-parenting situation. She sighed, hating the idea, but not seeing another option that she could live with.

  14

  “In the kitchen,” Caitlin called when Brian arrived home from work a few days later.

  He made his way to her, slipped up behind her, and kissed the back of her neck. She gave a little laugh, but he felt the shiver that ran through her. He loved the way she always responded to him. Now, if only things always went so smoothly in the rest of their relationship… He wanted so much to make her happy, but the demands on his time kept pulling them apart.

  “I’m trying to make a salad,” she said and playfully pushed him away. He refused to let go. Instead, he spun her around in his arms and kissed her lips.

  “I’ve got good news for you,” he said, when the kiss was over. News he knew would put a smile on her face. “Authorities in Florida picked up Seamus yesterday. It looks like you’ll get your money back soon. All of it.”

  “Really?” Her eyes lit up, exactly what he was hoping to see.

  “They’ve seized whatever assets he hadn’t already spent, and he’ll be forced to make restitution for the rest.”

  “Wow. I’m…oh, wow.” She kissed him, and he felt a thrill go through him. Every positive moment he spent with her seemed like proof that their relationship could work out. “That’s super good news because I’ve been talking to Maggie again.”

  His heart sank instantly. He wanted Caitlin to reconnect with her friend, but that friend was also her potential business partner in Austin, taking Caitlin away from him. “I’m glad for you,” he choked out with a fake smile.

  “She’s been looking at storefronts for our tattoo parlor, and she’s found a couple of awesome possibilities. If I get our money back from Seamus, we’ll have enough for the deposit, and we’d be that much closer to opening the business.”

  He released her and took a step back. He didn’t want to be the cloud to her sunshine, but any plan that had her living in Austin away from him wasn’t something he wanted to hear about.

  Her face went still, as if she were reading his thoughts. “That is, if I settle back in Austin,” she said. “It’s good to at least consider what that might look like, right? I’m trying to imagine staying here as well, but it’s important to look at all the possibilities.”

  Brian forced a smile. “Sure, we need to know what our options are before we can make a decision.” He was relieved that she was speaking about them as we, plural, as if they were a couple who made plans together.

  “Exactly. Let me show you the possible stores while the chicken finishes baking.” She opened her laptop that sat on the table and flipped through several tabs, showing him pictures of the various properties and talking about their advantages. He knew Austin well enough to know that three of them were in ideal spots for a tattoo parlor, surrounded by clubs and restaurants that attracted a hip crowd.

  He tried to make the right comments and be encouraging, but after viewing all of the locations, he had to ask the question that was on his mind. “You haven’t made up your mind, have you?”

  “About a store? Not yet,” she said, closing the laptop. “These are just possibilities.”

  “I didn’t mean about the store.” He forced himself to say the next words. “It’s starting to feel like you’re leaning toward moving back to Austin.”

  “Nothing’s definite. I’m not making that decision without you because it affects both of us. We have to decide together where we want to live and how we’re going to raise our child. It’s just such a relief to me to have options—to be able to prove my parents wrong,” she said. “I know that probably sounds silly to you, but they’ve always discouraged any idea I’ve had. When I told them that Maggie and I were going to start a business together, they declared it doomed from the beginning. But it’s not doomed. I’m so close to getting what I want and proving that I can make it in the city.”

  He wanted to ask where he fit into her vision, but the oven timer went off and he let the subject drop while they ate. During dinner he kept the conversation light, telling her a story about how a woman had reported seeing a black panther in town. She’d insisted that it was walking right down the street, and so he’d made the call to lock down the nearby elementary school while he investigated.

  “Was it really a panther?” Caitlin asked.

  “Extra-large house cat,” he said, making her laugh. “I drove it home in the back of my patrol vehicle. It belonged to a new neighbor who was delighted to have her cat returned. She’d let him out that morning, and he’d run off after a squirrel.”

  “Strange things happen in small towns,” Caitlin commented as she picked up the dishes and headed for the sink.

  “Good things, too. The women became friends after that. I see them together all the time now. They’re both widows, and they formed a support group for other widows.” He needed her to see the advantages of living in a close community. It wasn’t all neighbors gossiping about you, and the town wasn’t filled with folks like her parents. Life was special here.

  But maybe that was the wrong approach. Maybe he needed to show her more romance and assure her that they were good together. He’d been trying to sell her on the town, but he really needed to sell her on himself. He hadn’t done a great job of that at all. He wanted to smack himself in the forehead at his sudden realization. He needed to convince her that she couldn’t live without him, because the thought of losing her was too much to bear.

  “Ice cream?” she offered, taking a carton of butter pecan from the freezer. “I’m developing a definite sweet tooth, which I’m blaming on being pregnant.”

  “I’ll scoop.” He got up and grabbed bowls from the cabinet. “What do you think of going on a date tomorrow night?”

  “I like the sound of that.” She took spoons from the drawer and met him at the table. “What did you have in mind?”

  “How about a picnic at the lake?” he suggested. “We can watch the sunset and stay long enough to see the stars come out.” It freaked him out to think of being out of cellphone range if his deputies needed him…but Caitlin had been so happy that day at the lake. She’d let down her guard and let him in. He needed her in that mindset again.

  “You’re willing to be out of contact? You remember it’s a cell phone dead zone, right?” She eyed him over her bowl with one eyebrow raised.

  He gave a casual shrug. “It’s a weeknight, and the rodeo is long gone. I’m not worried about it,” he said. Sofia could handle whatever happened while he was out of contact for a few hours. “I’ll be coming from a training in Carson, so I can meet you there about seven.”

  Caitlin hesitated. “I’m not sure meeting there is such a good idea. If something came up and you were running late, you wouldn’t be able to call me to let me know. Maybe it would be better if we left from here together, even if that shortens our evening. That way when…if you cancel, I won’t be stuck alone at the lake.” She glanced away, and then back at him, her cheeks flushed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say it like that.”

  Her slipup drove home what he was up against. He had to prove to her that he would be there for her when she needed him to be. “You can count on me. I’ll be there—on time. Sofia can run the office as well as I can. She won’t need me.”

  She shoved her ice cream away, half-eaten. “Brian, I know how important your job is to you. You take the protection of this town seriously. I don’t want you to feel like you have to ignore that just to humor me.”

  “You’re important to me, too,” he said, trying to make his case with her. “And I want to protect you and care for you. I need you to believe that, darlin’. I’m willing to do anything to prove that.”